Scylla et Glaucus
Scylla et Glaucus (Scylla and Glaucus) is a tragédie en musique with a prologue and five acts, the only surviving full-length opera by Jean-Marie Leclair. The French-language libretto by d'Albaret is based on Ovid's Metamorphoses, books 10, 13 and 14.
Performance history
It was first performed at the Académie Royale de Musique in Paris on 4 October 1746. It was given 18 times.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast,[1] 4 October 1746 (Conductor:) |
|---|---|---|
| The chief of the peoples of Amathus | bass-baritone (basse-taille) | Person |
| A Propoetide[2] | tenor (taille)[3] | Louis-Antoine Cuvillier |
| Vénus | soprano | Mlle Romainville |
| L'Amour (Cupid)[2] | soprano | Mlle Cazeau |
| Chorus: peoples of Amathus, Propoetides. Ballet: peoples d'Amathus | ||
| Scylla, a nymph | soprano | Marie Fel |
| Témire, Scylla's confidante | soprano | Marie-Angélique Coupé (or Couppé) |
| Glaucus, a sea god | haute-contre | Pierre Jélyotte |
| Circé, a sorceress | soprano | Marie-Jeanne Fesch "Mlle Chevalier" |
| Dorine, Circé's confidante | soprano | Louise Jacquet |
| Licas, Glaucus's friend | bass-baritone | de La Mare (also spelled Lamare or Lamarre) |
| A shepherd, attracted to Scylla | haute-contre[4] | La Tour (also spelled Latour) |
| A sylvan, attracted to Scylla | bass-baritone | Albert |
| A coriphée of Circé's followers | soprano | Mlle Cazeau |
| Hécate[2] | taille[3] | Albert |
| Chorus: shepherds and sylvans, attendants of Circe, sea gods, underworld gods, peoples of Sicily Ballet: sylvans and shepherdesses (Act 1); attendants of Circe, in pleasant shapes (Act 2); sea gods (Act 3); demons (Act 4); peoples of Sicily (Act 5) | ||
Synopsis
During the prologue members of a cult in Amathus called the Propoetides are turned to stone for denying the authority of Vénus. The tragédie proper (Acts 1-5) that follows is a love triangle. Circé, the sorceress, loves Glaucus, a sea god, who loves Scylla, a nymph. Circé eventually turns Scylla to stone in the form of the famous rock in the Strait of Messina, beside the whirlpool of Charybdis.
References
- Notes
- ↑ According to the original libretto: Prologue and Tragedy and Divertissements.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 role en travesti
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 According to The New Grove Dictionary, "haute-contre". Both the first Propoetide and Hecate are notated in the tenor clef in the original printed score.
- ↑ According to The New Grove Dictionary, "tenor". The part is notated in the alto clef in the original printed score.
- Sources
- (French) Original libretto at Gallica, Bibliothèque Nationale de France
- (French) Original printed score at Gallica, Bibliothèque Nationale de France
- (Italian) Amadeus Almanac, accessed 28 January 2010
- (French) Le magazine de l'opéra baroque, accessed 1 February 2010
- Pitou, Spire, The Paris Opéra. An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers, and Performers – Rococo and Romantic, 1715-1815, Greenwood Press, Westport/London, 1985 (ISBN 0-313-24394-8)
- Sadler, Graham (1992), 'Scylla et Glaucus' in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
- Viking Opera Guide (ed. Holden, 1993)